By Samindra Kunti
January 10 – Zimbabwe and Uganda have both faced financial problems that at one point looked to threaten their participation of the African Cup of Nations, but the two countries are now set to play at the tournament in Gabon.
By Paul Nicholson
January 10 – Tomorrow the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) opens their annual conference in Los Angeles, the largest soccer convention in the world and the largest coaching convention of any sport worldwide. More than 20,000 participants are expected to attend, an increasing number of them international visitors.
January 10 – Just a few days after being granted Division II status in the US, the United Soccer League (USL) announced how its 30 teams will divide into Eastern and Western conferences for the 2017 expanded 32-game schedule.
By Paul Nicholson
January 9 – The perilous but tenacious state of the North American Soccer League (NASL) and the upstart and growing status of the United Soccer League (USL) have both been recognised by US Soccer (USSF) which has granted one-year provisional Division II status to both leagues for the 2017 season.
By Lefteris Charalampopoulos
January 9 – On 28 December 2016 Giannis Alafouzos, president of Panathinaikos and owner of SKAI TV Station was found guilty by a Greek court, of instigating the journalist Kyriakos Thomaidis to violate Greek legislation regarding the protection of sensitive personal data.
By Samindra Kunti
January 9 – Next weekend the African Cup of Nations will begin in Gabon, but the tournament’s build-up has been marred by the ever strident complaints from European clubs over African players representing their country at Africa’s flagship tournament.
By Andrew Warshaw
January 6 – Veteran African football chief Issa Hayatou, who briefly ran FIFA after Sepp Blatter was forced out of office but who is no stranger himself to controversy, is back in the firing line for allegedly abusing his position.
By Samindra Kunti
January 6 – Defending champions Ivory Coast have been given a financial boost ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon.
January 5 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has released a list of 148 college players for its 2017 NWSL College Draft which will take place at the same time as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Los Angeles on January 12.
January 4 – The Somali Football Federation has inaugurated its first ever regional football league in the port city of Kismayo, about 500 kilometers south of the capital Mogadishu.
By Paul Nicholson
January 3 – The postponed elections for the presidency of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) now look set to take place in April after reports that controversial current president Angel Maria Villar has found common ground in disputes with the Spanish sports ministry and its new Secretary of State for Sports, Jose Ramon Lete.
By Samindra Kunti
January 3 – The Brazilian Football Confederation, the CBF, wants to rekindle their relationship with FIFA, because the governing body still owe the confederation $100 million from the 2014 World Cup legacy fund, but the presence of CBF president Marco Polo Del Nero is proving to be an obstacle.
By Lefteris Charalampopoulos
December 29 – They claim to be extremely wealthy. They are owners of football clubs and controversial businessmen. Dimitris Melissanidis, owner of AEK Athens, and Giannis Alafouzos (pictured) of Panathinaikos, have money but they have failed to meet their payment obligations to their players and coaches.
December 28 – Nigerian football’s internal wranglings have come to the fore again following reports that the candidature of federation president Amaju Pinnick (pictured), for a seat on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee may be under threat.
December 28 – The warm-up for the Beach Soccer World Cup in the Bahamas in 2017 starts with the 2017 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship February 20-26 which will qualify two teams for the World Cup.